Many writing instruments, for example, lead pencils, fountain pens, ball point and felt tip pens, crayons, and markers, have smooth exterior surfaces for ease in manufacture or aesthetic appearance purposes. While a smooth surface may be attractive and pleasant to the touch, it presents several drawbacks when embodied in a writing instrument.
When held in a writer's hand for an extended length of time, the writing instrument will tend to become slippery as a result of the liquids given off by the fingers of the writer. This slickness makes the writing instrument difficult to grasp causing the writer discomfort and resulting in impaired legibility of the writing produced.
Grips which may be attached to pens, pencils and the like are well known to the art. Many of these grips are designed to force the writers fingers into a desired grip which has been deemed correct. Grips which force the fingers of the writer into a particular configuration are not always comfortable for writers who prefer to hold their pencil in a different manner.
Other known grips are designed primarily to facilitate the writer's grasp on the writing instrument without the instructional or corrective functions of the devices mentioned above. A feature of such grips, however, is that the exterior profile is non-uniform thus constraining a writer to hold his writing instrument in a fixed position. Not only can this cause fatigue in the writer, in the case of a lead pencil it prevents the writer from rotating the pencil to best obtain even wear of the lead.
Grips are known which utilize projecting interior ribs for frictional attachment to a writing instrument. However, the dimensions of any particular set of ribs will limit the size writing instrument to which the grip may be attached.
What is needed is a grip to facilitate writing with a writing instrument, despite the exterior surface finish of that instrument, which permits a variety of grasping positions and which is adjustable to different diameter writing instruments.